The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c14.26

c14.26

Two other Greek doctors have been employed by the Achaemenians. It is known that according to a legend and certain texts, which are very probably apocryphal², Hippocrates had refused the parents of Artaxerxes, who had ordered him to come for fighting against an epidemic, but Appollonides of Cos practised in the Court of Artaxerxes from the beginning of the reign of this prince, even if he had not been there before him. In fact, he cured Megabyze, wounded during the troubles which followed the failure of the conspiracy of Artaban against Artaxerxes¹ in 464, seven months after the assassination of Xerxes which took place during the summer of 465. He had more time than Demokedes to propagate Greek medicine in Iran, but did not return to his country. He was shamefully executed in 440 for having seduced Amytis, the widow of Megabyze, under the pretence of curing her of an hysterical disease.²